Forgetfulness alone makes it difficult to predict
Are you having trouble managing your finances?
Has your driving skills decreased?
Do you often hear that things have changed?
Check the list of 5 threats
A man in the Netherlands visits a nursing hospital to see his wife suffering from dementia. [사진=로이터연합]
“Oh my, I forgot. “I think it’s dementia.”
As we age, everyone becomes concerned about dementia (Alzheimer’s disease). The most common ‘ground’ for suspicion is forgetfulness. However, experts suggest that it is necessary to check for additional symptoms besides forgetfulness.
On the 26th (local time), the American daily New York Times (NYT) cited neurological and cognitive behavioral experts and presented a checklist of five pre-dementia symptoms, including forgetfulness.
1. Are there financial problems?
Dementia patients may experience money problems or credit score declines years before symptoms appear.
If symptoms such as frequent impulse purchases, exposure to financial fraud, or forgetting to pay utility bills occur, you may suspect pre-dementia symptoms.
“Frontotemporal dementia affects judgment,” said Winston Chiong, a professor of neurology at the University of California. “It can make it difficult to maintain one’s finances.”
2. Do you have sleep problems?
As you get older, you naturally go to bed early and wake up early. Problems with decreased sleep quality are also normal.
However, if the extreme form suddenly occurs frequently and reaches the level of sleep disturbance, it may be a symptom of dementia.
For example, if there are drastic changes, such as automatically opening your eyes at 3 a.m. or continuing to fall asleep during the day, there is a problem.
Joe Wiener, a professor of neurology and neuroscience at Stanford University, said, “Areas such as the brainstem, which regulates the sleep and wake cycle, are the first to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease.”
Frequent sleep behavior disorders and sleep paralysis also indicate a risk of dementia.
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3. Has your personality or disposition suddenly changed?
If you hear people around you saying that you have suddenly ‘changed’, it may be a warning sign of dementia.
Reduced extroversion, lack of empathy, and increased distrust of others are typical characteristics.
It is necessary to check whether going out or social activities has decreased in daily life.
A professor of behavioral science at Florida State University explained, “These changes are related to a decrease in the volume of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, which is a common characteristic of dementia.”
4. Has there been an increase in sudden braking when driving a vehicle?
Ganesh Bubla, an associate professor of neurology at the University of Washington, said, “Driving is the ultimate coordination of the cognitive system,” and added, “Cognitive impairment surfaces in the form of sudden braking or increased sharp turns.”
If you find yourself reluctant to drive on rainy, snowy, foggy days, at night, or during rush hour when there are a lot of cars, this is something to think about.
5. Do you have trouble smelling?
Dementia patients are said to gradually lose their sense of smell years, or in severe cases, decades before onset.
This is because when nerves begin to degenerate, the first area in the brain to be damaged is the area responsible for smell.
Symptoms are more diverse than you might think. In some cases, people simply cannot smell well, and in other cases, they smell the same smell but misrecognize what it is.
